Greece's populist powder keg

The message from the elites to the Greek people is clear: "We will overrule you"

Greek Protests
(Image credit: Aris Messinis/Getty Images)

It didn't take a military conquest from Europe to keep Greece in the eurozone. But because the deal to "save" Greece imposed even harsher conditions on Athens than Greek voters had decisively rejected in a nationwide referendum just days earlier, Greeks could be forgiven for feeling as if they'd been the victims of a coup. The message to Greeks, not just from the rest of Europe, but from their own leaders, seems to be, "We will overrule you."

For now, Greece's populists have the worst of both worlds. Not only have they failed to be liberated by a big fix (continued euro membership plus massive debt forgiveness, for instance), they haven't even been freed by a big breakdown (banishment plus, at least, some sovereignty they can be proud of). The creaking euro system remains in place, only with greater strains and longer timelines.

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James Poulos

James Poulos is a contributing editor at National Affairs and the author of The Art of Being Free, out January 17 from St. Martin's Press. He has written on freedom and the politics of the future for publications ranging from The Federalist to Foreign Policy and from Good to Vice. He fronts the band Night Years in Los Angeles, where he lives with his son.